The department's 2004 revamped chase policy limits officers to pursue only suspects in major violent crimes.

Many in the west Orlando neighborhood where the crash occurred gathered Sunday to talk about what they had seen. Civic leaders and neighbors at the crash site expressed distrust in the department's investigation.

"Primarily, because we are a black community, there's complete disregard for our civil rights," Bishop O.M. Vickson I said.

J. Willie David III, president of the Florida Civil Rights Association, said he thinks there's a good chance that officers would protect their own.

"This process needs to be monitored," David said. "If the OPD is at fault, we want to make sure the responsible parties are sanctioned."

Jones said the skepticism is unfounded.

"We started looking into it the night of the crash," Jones said. "We are confident our investigation will be conducted with integrity."

The driver of the pickup drove through a stop sign, careened into traffic and smashed into two cars headed southbound on Ivey Lane -- a gold Cadillac and a white Nissan. The pickup rolled over and came to rest in a parking lot across the street.

The driver of the white Nissan was pronounced dead at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

The pickup driver, a passenger in the Nissan and three women and a 2-year-old in the Cadillac were injured.

On Sunday, some witnesses described a chaotic scene after the crash in which they alleged that police did nothing at first to help the victims.

"The black car was on fire, and they just stood there looking at it," said James London, who lives in the neighborhood.

According to London, two men who were at a nearby convenience store ran toward the vehicle with a fire extinguisher. After putting out the fire, the bystanders pulled the unconscious driver out and laid him on the ground.

"That's when the cops grabbed him and dragged the man a good 50 feet, like a dirty rug," London said.

Jones said she could not go into what happened Friday night, but emphasized that investigators will not ignore any witnesses' accounts.

George Crossley, president of the Central Florida chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, began to gather statements Sunday for the organization's own investigation. He also surveyed the crash site.